Word: ms
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...silly to mistake verbal purification for genuine social reform. Even after all women are "Ms." and all people are "he or she," women will still earn only 65 cents for every dollar earned by men. Minorities by any other name, such as "people of color," will still bear a hugely disproportionate burden of poverty and discrimination. Disabilities are not just "different abilities" when there are not enough ramps for wheelchairs, signers for the deaf or special classes for the "specially" endowed. With all due respect for the new politesse, actions still speak louder than fashionable phrases...
...examples given above should give some idea of how ludicrous it is to propose a "more correct" way of celebrating Irish culture. But since Ms. Zaleskas insists that a mere keg of beer is inadequate to express her pride in her Irish background, I would like to remind her of the following: First, she is in the United States, not Ireland, and she cannot expect the citizens of this multicultural country, in their appreciation of a foreign culture, to meet her specific guidelines throughout their festivities. Ms. Zaleskas should be honored by the mere fact that Americans annually take...
Second, I would like to inform Ms. Zaleskas that there are very many people who actually do celebrate Irish culture as she sees correct. For example, within this past week alone, the Harvard Irish Cultural Society has sponsored a poetry reading by Seamus Heaney, a lecture by Northern Irish politician John Hume, a presentation of the film "My Left Foot and an Irish art exhibition currently on display on the second floor of Hilles Library. In addition, traditional Irish music is broadcast every day of the year on at least one radio station in the Boston area, including Harvard...
...large part of Ms. Zaleskas's argument deals with alcohol-related imagery and the Irish people. Despite her own objections to the strong connection in people's minds between alcohol and Irish culture, perhaps she is unaware of just how much alcohol and pubs are a part of Irish cultural traditions. This same tradition has, admittedly, led to grave problems related to alcoholism, and there has been a profound movement to curb alcohol usage throughout Ireland. But alcohol, nonetheless, is quite central to Irish life. The vast number of regional stouts and whiskeys found in Ireland attest to the great...
...Although Ms. Zaleskas's comments on Irish history and economics are accurate enough, I hope that it is clear to her by now that her critique of Americans and their celebration of Irish culture is way out of line. I am sure that the overwhelming majority of the 40 million Irish Americans in this country would agree with me as I tell Ms. Zaleskas, "We don't need you to speak for us." As for the rest of the country's Saint Patrick's Day "weekend revelers," party on! Kenneth Smith Vice President Harvard Irish Cultural Society